


Perfect

by TacitPermission



Category: Marvel (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-01
Updated: 2014-01-01
Packaged: 2018-01-07 00:22:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1113269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TacitPermission/pseuds/TacitPermission
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My submission for the Darcy/Steve Holiday fic exchange.  Secret Ski Vacation, except it gets crashed by everyone. Except 'everyone' in this case is Darcy's wackadoodle family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lady-cheeky](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=lady-cheeky).



 

  
“You are not Jane.”

 _Well this is gonna be perfect_ , Steve thought as he stored his bag before compressing himself into the airline seat.

“And I repeat,” Darcy said, poking him the shoulder, “You. Are. Not. Jane.”

“Nope. I am definitely not Jane.” He turned his best TV camera smile her way but she just raised an eyebrow at him. Giving up the pretense, “She had something come up and it was suggested by _someone_ that you might need some moral support.”

“That _someone_ , Natasha? Or Bucky?”

“Both.”

Darcy made an exasperated sound, “They sure are doing their darnedest to push us together, aren't they?”

“Even Tony's gotten in on the act 'You should ask out the Lewis chick, if you don't Banner will'”

His Stark impersonation startled a laugh out of her, “I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've ever heard you use the word 'chick' and not be talking about a baby chicken.”

“Um, have we ever actually had a conversation about chickens?”

“Touche`”

He adjusted in his seat. Steve had flown in less comfortable ways, most notably via Iron Man or Thor, but flying modern coach still stunk. Darcy eyed him then sighed.

“I guess Jane didn't tell them then.”

“Tell them what?” his suspicions rising. One of the things he liked about Darcy was her mischievous streak but it often lead from innocence to trouble.

“I decided to forgo the family drama. Jane and I were going to use the tickets for a ski trip.”

“Skiing?” he tried to imagine Jane Foster on a pair of ski's or even a snowboard. Even his artists brain couldn't manage it.

“Yeah, you know, strapping a couple of boards to your feet and sliding down a mountain? Really, isn't that just right up your ally?”

“I'm not really much of a daredevil.”

Darcy snorted, “Dude. You fight monsters with a _shield_.”

It was his turn to say, “Touche`. But could we ix-nay on the Ap-cay stuff?” He glanced around the plane but no one on the crowded flight was paying either of them any attention. The pig Latin made her giggle but she did nod in acceptance. “I'm not really keen on cold weather.” he admitted.

He watched as the penny dropped. That was another one of those things about Darcy that he really liked, how you could read her thoughts on her face. Every expression was different and uniquely _Darcy._ Like now, how her plush lips formed a perfect 'O' while something shined across her bright eyes, not pity but empathy maybe. All that followed by a wince.

“They really didn't think this through when they set us up, did they?”

“What's that phrase you use? _'Not with the so much_ '?” That put the smile back on her face.

“Well the resort has a very snug lounge, you can spend our mutual holiday in front of the fire. I'm sure we can find you a good book and a cup of coco.” She snorted again at the face he pulled in response to that, “Or I could introduce you to snowboarding?”

“I'd like the second option.” Did he really always spend this much time smiling in her presence? No wonder their friends were eager to match them up.

They settled in for the flight but Steve kept looking in her direction. He liked Darcy. He liked her a lot. With Bucky back in his life he'd come to the conclusion that Bucky meddling in his love life was inevitable but his other friends had surprised him. Ok, maybe once he got to know Tony it wasn't that surprising. But Natasha was. The thing was, he really did like Darcy and he might like to take her out but he didn't want to be pushed into it.

“Ok, what is it?” she said when the fast your seat-belt light came back on.

“What?”

“Spill, Captain broody brows, you keep giving me a 'look'”

Surprised at being caught out he said instead, “Are you really skipping out on your folks to go skiing?”

The storm clouds passing across her face told him what a colossal mistake that had been. A voice whispered from his memory, _'you really don't know anything about women, do you?'_ All Buck had said about her family was that they were 'Crazy like a herd of cats' and 'Do you think she could deal with all this superhero baloney if she wasn't used to dealing with lunatics?'

After an agonizing moment she replied, “It wouldn't be my folks, my mom passed when I was young. I never knew my Dad.”

“I- oh.” His heart squeezed in his chest because he knew what that was like. He'd gone to the orphanage but he'd had Bucky.

“I know.” She put her hand on his knee, “Anyway, I was passed between my mom's sisters and well...”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be, they are my family and I love them- in a way” whatever she was going to say after that was lost as the captain came on announcing their landing. She didn't return to the topic as they began to make their descent and she didn't take her hand off of his knee till they landed.

)O(

 _Just Perfect_. This whole trip was going to be a disaster. Darcy was going to murder her best friend and no jury in the world would convict her. Although, Captain America- no Steve would give her the 'I am so disappointed in you' face and she really _, really_ didn't want to be the cause of that face. But still, frozen in the ice for seventy years plus Vail Colorado ski trip? Yeah, not a recipe for romance. Somebody needed to knee James Barnes in the balls because there was no way Natasha had been behind such a monumental fuck up.

Aaaaaand even her mental voice was rambling in panic.

Darcy took a deep breath, smiled at Steve who was carrying her bag along with his, and exited the plane.

“Darcy!”

_Oh._

“Darce!”

_No._

“Dingleberry Darcy!”

_Oh HELL no._

Steve shot her an amused look and she realized that she may have said that out loud. She was pretty sure her checks were on fire.

“I'm so sorry.” She managed to say to him before the tyrant in a girdle, aka Aunt Marcy, was wrapping her into a bear hug.

“Hey Doofus, don't I get a hug?” Darcy ignored the name calling and pulled her cousin in for a brief hug before surrendering to her other Aunt. Aunt Maureen gave her a peck on the cheek before saying, “And who is this?”

Crap. Crap and shit and very other swear word in her extensive vocabulary. Steve was smiling fondly at her. Poor Lamb, he didn't have a clue what he was in for.

“Steve, this is my Aunts Marcy and Maureen. This bozo is my cousin Devin.” Then she took a deep breath, “Aunties, Dev, This is Steve.” if she had her fingers crossed and a constant litany of prayer running in her head- well nobody but her needed to know. _Just, please no one say-_

“Oooooooh! The prodigal problem child's finally bringing home a boyfriend!”

_Boyfriend._

Well so much for prayer because God obviously hated her.

Mortified she turned to Steve only to see him smiling still. He seemed unperturbed at being labeled.

“Darcy's the problem child?” he feigned shock as he shook Devin's hand, “I woulda never guessed.”

“Har Har.” she deadpanned his direction before preparing herself for the scene that she was about to cause at the baggage claim. Would his status as Captain America save them from the TSA? Or since they were already past the terminals would it just be airport security that escorted them out? It wouldn't be the first time her family had been kicked out of a place.

“Not that I”m not happy to see you,” She began, ignoring Aunt Marcy's disdainful sniff, “but didn't you get the package and letter I sent? I also emailed you and called Dottie.” because she wasn't making that mistake twice. She still had nightmares from the guilt trip of 2008 when she had only told Aunt Melissa that she wouldn't be coming home for Thanksgiving.

“A very nice you woman phoned to say that we might catch you before you jaunted off on your romantic getaway.” Screw killing, Darcy was going to concoct every torture she could and then inflict them on Jane.

“It's not-” a warm hand on her lower back stopped her.

“I'm sorry, it's my fault,” Steve interrupted, “I convinced Darcy to spend the weekend with me on the slopes.”

“Yeah you had to convince real hard.” Devin mumbled. Darcy was torn between shooting her cousin a dirty look or curling up in mortification. Was Steve really going to pretend to be her boyfriend? Maybe she should try the prayer thing again because surely this couldn't get any worse?

“Well then young man.” _Oh god it could get worse_. Aunt Marcy continued, “Surely you can spare a night from your tryst to let Darcy have a holiday dinner with her family?”

“Of course.” The smile he turned towards her was devilish, “I wouldn't want to deprive her of her family.”

)O(

Steve's head was spinning. The entire drive Devin had incessantly chattered at them to break the tense silence of the car. If nothing else he now knew how Darcy put up with Tony Stark, she had practice. But the drive hadn't been that bad, even if Darcy had been trying to communicate something via a telepathy neither of them had yet developed, no it was the _names_. In the last 15 minutes he'd been introduced to so many people with either 'M' or 'D' names that it would be a miracle if he remembered them all, even with his serum enhanced memory. Apparently it was a tradition that all members of each generation shared a first initial. So far he'd met Aunties Marcy, Maureen, Melissa, Monica and Mabel. Then there were the cousins, Devin, Damon, Dorothea (“call me Dottie”), Donna, Darla, David, down to poor unfortunately named Doris (who couldn't have been older than 15). To top it all off Dottie was pregnant and everyone was campaigning for a new letter and suggesting tons of names. Still, Steve could fake his way through it.

Everyone assumed he was Darcy's boyfriend. Sue him if he didn't bother to correct anyone, neither did Darcy. They'd been taken to Aunt Marcy's elegant Denver home, at least he thought is was Marcy's, she seemed to be the matriarch of the family. Before they sat down to dinner at two huge tables he was paraded around to everyone. He ignored the feeling of being a show dog and greeted everyone politely and watched Darcy. It was strange. After every introduction he saw a little more of her fade away. And it seemed like every person in the room had a comment on her clothes or her hair or her figure (which confused the heck out of him because Darcy had a killer figure). After every comment the bubbly, snarky, happy Darcy seemed to melt further into herself. He found himself standing closer to her, putting his hand on her back or shoulder in an attempt to bolster her up.

After a few last minute additions to the table Steve was please to sit down next to Darcy thinking maybe with some food in her she would bounce back a little. Turned out he was wrong. They'd been waylaid to the 'Adults' table and sat opposite Marcy, Maureen, and Mabel. It felt like sitting before a panel of judges. The scowl on Marcy's face still hadn't abated and though the three sisters looked alike they were easily distinguishable. Maureen seemed to be constantly looking down her nose and plump Mabel wore a deceptive smile.

It was Mabel behind that sneaky smile who, after grace, started the questions, “So Darcy,” she began and the woman beside him cringed, “How did you two meet?”

Sensing Darcy's hesitation Steve answered for her, “We met at work.”

“Oh? You work for the same clandestine government agency that she can't even tell us the name of?” Maureen asked narrowing her measuring eyes. He felt Darcy shift further down in her chair.

“Yes, ma'am. Although we're in different departments.” Well that couldn't have been a bigger understatement. Oh well, at least he hadn't lied.

“And what do you do Steve? Since Darcy has the glorified babysitting job all to herself.” Marcy asked. He ignored the snipe at Darcy's job.

“Ah no...” He took a bite of brisket and chewed to give himself time to think, he didn't really want to lie to her family, “I'm in security.” Someone at the other table choked. It sounded like Devin. “Darcy is far more than a babysitter too.”

All three women snorted in a rather familiar way. He spared a glance at Darcy who was biting her lip and had a death grip on her fork. Her plate sat untouched which was a shame because the brisket was delicious. He snagged a piece from her plate and she completely ignored him. At home that would have been cause to be stabbed with a fork or kicked in the shin...

“You like living in New York, Steve?” Mabel asked.

“Yes, ma'am, I was born there, it's my home.”

“That's a shame, We Lewis' have always been Mountain folk.”

“ _Really_ Mabel, 'Mountain folk'- you make us sound like back woods hillbillies.” Marcy snapped.

“Nope just back woods hippies.” Darcy murmured just loud enough for Steve to hear and it cheered him a bit.

“She has a point though. Darcy sit up!” Maureen began, “It would be a shame for her to permanently reside so far from Colorado and the rest of the family.”

“Aunt Maureen! We're not- I'm not- !” Darcy's eyes met his and he couldn't help but wink at her.

“Darcy, are you ever gong to finish your degree?”

Aaaaand you take one step forward and two steps back. He watched her close her eyes and take a deep breath. He knew her education was a sore spot so he tried to derail that bit of interrogation, “You should tell them about the courses your taking Darce.”

Her eyes flew open, “I don't think that's a good idea” she said carefully.

“And why not young lady?” Marcy began, “Did you change your major _again_.”

“Not exactly.”

“Darcy is taking hand to hand combat and firearms basics and- what was the new one Coulson started you on?”

She sighed mightily before responding, “Fundamentals of interrogation.”

A hush fell over the room.

“ _Holllllleeee Shiiiiiiit_ ” Devin stage whispered from the other table, “Darcy's gonna be a Narc!” And that's when pandemonium erupted.

)o(

Sometimes even when you can see the train wreck coming there is no avoiding it. Darcy might have been able to fib off hand to hand and firearms training as self defense but there was no excuse for learning how to interrogate someone. The dramatic curse from Dev started them all off on the expected riot. It wasn't as though she hadn't already gotten flack for becoming a 'government flunky' (Aunt Melissa's words). But this was worse.

Aunt Monica from the other table said something about a lack of principles and Dottie (bless the dumb blonde) said something about it being too dangerous a job for a woman. Maureen was saying something about becoming one of the jackbooted bullies and Mabel was starting in on her conspiracy theories surrounding the Chitauri attack (some were actually true, not that Darcy would ever tell the woman). It was Marcy's chair suddenly sliding noisily across the hardwood floor that cut everyone off.

“Darcy Madeline Lewis! You were taught better than that! We didn't raise you to become a traitor to your own family!”

Suddenly red rage was swimming behind her eyes. How dare _that woman!_

“ _You_ didn't raise me to be _ANYTHING_.” Suddenly she was standing, “You treated me like a hot potato time bomb! ' _Whose gonna get stuck with Maryanne's kid?'_ ” She quoted to Maureen, “ _' I've spent my whole life cleaning up Maryanne's messes, I can't do this one too!'_ ” she spat back to Mabel, “Well screw all of you! I was not Maryanne's mess! I was a good kid who lost her mom and got shunted around. It's a miracle I came out the fucking _fantastic_ woman I am.”

Darcy sucked in a breath and looked at Steve, he looked a bit shocked, she didn't know if it was because she was cursing or because she was speaking to her elders like that. It didn't matter, he wasn't really her boyfriend, she'd never really had him to be able to loose him. She went to point her finger at Marcy, the woman she'd been named after but who nearly let her go to foster care rather than take her in, only to find she couldn't. Steve had a hold of her hand.

He stood up beside her, “Darcy is one of the most bright, caring people I have ever met. She's going to make an amazing Agent and while you might not fully approve of her choices I don't think you realize that she's going to help a lot people, has already helped a lot of people, and just might end up saving a whole lot more lives.” He spoke with firm confidence and the room again went starkly quiet. He gestured towards the door, “You ready to get out of here Darce?”

He was the only one who ever called her that. She just nodded.

Devin met them at the door with the keys, “Need a ride?”

“Dev you are my favorite cousin.”

Devin held the door for them then turned back to the rest of the family, “You do realize you just got schooled by Captain America, right?”

Steve groaned all the way to the car but they were pealing down the pavement before anyone could come after them.

They were just coming up to the bus terminals at DIA when it finally hit her. Darcy'd stood up to her aunts, and _Steve had too_. In fact they both picked the back seat of the car and Steve had his arm around her shoulders. She wondered if she should alert him to that fact? Because it was nice. _Super nice._

“So uh-”

Crap. Devin.

“What bus are you two lovebirds taking to the resort?”

She felt Steve chuckle against her cheek but he didn't correct Devin even though his superhero identity was out of the bag and now that all the family drama was over. He also didn't stop touching her. Not while they waited for the shuttle van, not during the twisty ear popping ride, and not even while she checked them in at the resort. He didn't let go of her until he swiped his key card and opened the door to their room.

Their single, king sized bed, room.

“I- oh- uh...” She began.

“Perfect.” He said then turned quickly scooped her into his arms.

From this close she got a new dose of his scent, amber and cloves and Steve. “Perfect?” She couldn't help but ask as she looked up into his eyes. Some mischievous thought crinkled them at the corners.

“Perfect.” he repeated, “Perfect resort, perfect room, and the perfect girl.”

“Perfect?” She asked again quietly as his face slowly descended towards hers. The kiss was sweet, starting gentle but becoming more heated. She gasped when he threaded a hand through her hair and he took advantage. He always was a strategist. When they parted to breathe she smiled and agreed, “yeah, totally perfect.

The end.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like, it wasn't exactly the prompt but this just spoke to me. I don't usually write Darcy or Steve but I love this pairing. They fit just perfectly.


End file.
